Multiple-unit egg timer



2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR G .Qatar/:g-

ATTORNEY s. o. BEARING MULTIPLE UNIT EGG TIMER Filed Aug. 25- 1924 a,2mm

Sept. l, 1,925.

Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL O. BEARING, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, AS'SIGNOR 0F ONE-EIGHTH T0ALBERT L. BARNES, ONE-EIGHTH T0 JOHN F. WILLSON, ONE-SIXTEENTH T0 ALEX-ANDER M. HISLOP, AND ONE-SIXTEENTH TO HENRY M. CASSILIS, ALL O'F STOCK-TON, CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO LEO H. MCCLELLAN, OF DETROIT, MICHI-GAN.

MULTIPLE-Unir EGG TIMER.

Application filed August 25, 1924. Serial No. 733,959.

To aZZ 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAMUEL O. DEARING,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, county of SanJoaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Multiple-Unitl Egg Timers; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accom? panying drawings, and to characters ofreference marked thereon, Ywhich form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for timing the boilingof eggs, such as are commonly used in restaurant and hotel kitchens andthe like.

The principal lobject of my invention is to provide a device of thischaracter so constructed that a plurality of egg receptacles, and theircorresponding mechanisms may be grouped about a common base, to beoperated simultaneously or independently of each other, and whoseoperation is con-4 trolled by a single driving mechanism.

. This enables a considerable number of egg orders being taken care ofsimultane-' ously, and without the boiling of one set of eggsinterfering with that of the others, while necessitating a minimum ofspace in the kitchen for the entire apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly e'ective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a persual of the followingspecilication and claims.

In the drawings similar .characters ofangles to the axis of the motorand driven .from the shaft 5 of the latter by worm gearing or the like.

Removably mounted in the casing 3 above the shaft 4 is a plate 7, whil'eabove the casing and parallel to said plate is another plate 8. Theseplates are connected together t'o form a rigid unit by a plurality ofpairs of vertical rods 9.

Journaled in and extending between the plates and 8 in central relationrelative to the pairs of rods is a shaft 10 whose lower end extendsbelow the plate 7 and is there connectedin driving relation with theshaft 4 by worm gearing l1 or the like. The housing 3, below the plate7, is oil tight so that a supply of oil may be maintained abouttheshafts and gearing.

The rods 9 `not only serve to connect the plates 7 and 8 together, butform guides for weight blocks 12, one of which is arranged in connectionwith each pair of rods. Each block carries a gear 13 therein disposed inaV vertical plane and adapted to mesh with an enlarged screwfthreaded orworm portion 14 formed withthe shaft 10. Associated with each gear 14 isa ratchet wheel l5 engaged by a spring pawl 16, Varranged so that whilethe'ge-ar can freely rotate when the weight is being moved upwardlyandis in engagement with the worm 14, it cannot rotate when said weighttends to move down. It will therefore be seen that the weight will beheld immovable against `downward movement when once the gear is in meshwith the worm, unless the latter isrotating'. The thread of the worm Aisso disposed relative to the rotation of the shaft lO, which is only inone direction, that with such rotation th@ gear 13, and consequently theblock 12, will be lowered until the gear clears the worm. The blockwillthen ofcourse drop to the plate 'Z' of its own weight,

rubber or similar bumpers 17 being placed sho'k of the droppinglweights. f Y

l block is entirely independent of the about the rods 9 on the plate toabsorb the be set.

which passes over a pulley 19 journaled in a cap 2O over and supportedkfrom the plate S. A tubular member 20a is attached to and depends fromthe cap to and about the easing 3, concealing the mechanism between the.

plates 7 and 8. The pulley 1.9. projects through a slot in the side: ofthe plate` so that the chain will then depend. on the outside of thecap. To the outside and lower end of the cha-in is attached a cross bar21 having an eye 21a throughA which theausual rod 22 of an ordinaryegg-timer cooking receptacle 28 freely passes, said rod having, howevera cross pin 2f above.` the eye 21a incapable of passing through thelatter.

Calibrated timing rods 25 of standard character are slidably mountedinthe cap 2 0@ and Vplate 8 Vfo-r vertical adjustment relative thereto,their lower ends being above cor- `responding ones ofthe blocks 12andbeing adapted to abut thereagainst.

A singleJ` waterV tank 26 for. all the egg receptacles, is disposedabout the casing 3 on three sides thereof. I have here shown. `anddescribed a device comprising three timing units, but it will be evidentthat by enlarging. the central member and various other parts, a largernumber of units may be provided to be all operated from the common shaft10.l

To operate any of the timing units when the. container 23 thereof isinits normal position out of the tank andthe weight is resting on the pads17, the correspondingl calibrated rod 25A is adjusted toV indicate thenumber of minuteswhich itis desiredto boil the eggs. The cross-bar 21 isthen4 pulled down so that the container 23 with the eggs therein, restson the bottom ofL the tank 26, and until the weight 12 of said containerabuts against the lower end of the rod 25. As previously described, thegear 13 of said weight is then engagedv with the worm 1li of, the shaft1() partway up said worm, and the pitch of the worm and speed of theshaftare so related that it willtake as many minutes to cause said gearto be lowered clear of the worm as is designated on the calibrated rod25 at whatever position the latter may As soon as the weight clears theworm, it is of course free to drop of its own weight and in doing so,instantly causes an upward movement of the container 23, out of the tankto take place, las will be evident.

It will also be evident that since all the weights and their connectedparts are entirely independent of each other, they may all be set inoperation at, different times without interfering with the functioningof each other.

From. the foregoing descriptionv it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills-the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

a common axis, each unit including an eggcontainer and a weight vtendingto act against theY weight of the container, a driven worm mountedconcentric with said axis, and means associated with the units andindependentlyA engageable withthe worm for preventing the weights' fromdropping lby gravity until afterpredetermined vperiods of time haveelapsed.

2. An egg timer comprising a plurality of independent timing unitsgrouped about a common axis, each unit including an egg container and ameans tending to raise the same, a driven member mounted concentric withsaid axis, and means associated with the units and independentlyengageable with the driven member for preventing the first named fromacting to raise the respective containers untilv after predeterminedperiodsfhave elapsed.

3. An egg timer comprising a vertical driven shaft, a worm thereon, aplurality of weights slidably mounted for vertical movement parallel tothe shaft and grouped thereabout in equally spaced relation thereto, aplurality ofegg containers corresponding to the weights, .meansconnecting the weights and containersin a manner to cause the latter tobe moved'upwardly when the weights drop, gears Vassociated with theweights and engageable with the worm, means whereby when the weights areraised theI gears may freely rotate and move up the worm but cannotrotate to travel down the worm, and independent and adjustable meansengageable with the individual weights for controlling the height towhich they may be raised.

4. An egg timer comprising aplurality of independentV timing unitsgrouped about a common axis, each unit including an egg container and ameans tending to raise the same, gears independently associated with thedifferent containers, means preventing rotation of the gears in otherthan one direction, and a common driven worm with which said gears areadapted to be independently engaged.

' 5. An egg timer comprising a supporting structure, a vertical anddriven shaft journaled therein, a worm on said shaft intermediate itsends, a pulley mounted in said structure and projecting outwardly of thesame, a flexible element supported by the pulley and dependingdownwardly from opposite sides thereof, an egg container depending fromthe lower and outer end of said element, a weight connected to theopposite end of said element, a gear mounted in connection with theweight and engageable with the worm only when the container is in apredetermined position, and means whereby when the weight is raised thegear will engage and freely travel up the worm, the rotation of thelatter causing said weight to be lowered down the worm until the gear isclear of the same.

6. An egg timer comprising a supporting structure, a vertical and drivenshaft journaled therein, a worm on said shaft intermediate its ends, apulley mounted in said structure and projecting outwardly of the same, aflexible element supported by the pulley and depending downwardly fromopposite sides thereof, an egg container depending from the lower andouter end of said element, a gear mounted in connection with the weightand engageable with the worm only when the container is in apredetermined position, and means necessitating the rotation of the wormto enable the gear to Clear the lower end of the worm and the weight tothen drop by gravity.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

SAMUEL O. BEARING.

